In light of that study, it's worth noting that the Japanese government calculated that the Cesium-137 alone emitted from Fukushima as of late August was 168 times more radioactive than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world...

NOTE: I'm now skeptical of the 985,000 death-toll figure in the NYAS review. The figure has been criticized for lacking a clear or standard methodology. It's okay to propose new non-standard analytical methodologies, but as the basis for a study which thereby comes to an extraordinary conclusion, no, that's suspect of being wrong on its face. In short, the extraordinary predictions of Yablokov et al are even more likely to be evidence that their unique untested methodologies are faulty. That said, their 327-page report is an important review of Russian research most of which is off limits to the west due to language barriers.

In contrast, the European Environmental Agency, using standard dosimetry (ICRP and BEIR) -- predicts between 17,000 to 68,000 Chernobyl-induced deaths over 50 years. A figure that also counters Al-Khalili's implication that estimated death tolls above a mere handful are wild rumors.

The European Environmental Agency's prediction of 17,000 to 68,000 deaths over 50 years is based on better-established radiobiology. See: Late lessons II Chapter 18 - Late lessons from Chernobyl early warnings from Fukushima @ http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications..., which lays out the EEA's straightforward methodology:

"Given that UNSCEAR (1993) and IAEA (1996)estimate a total world-wide collective doseof 600,000 person‑Sieverts over 50 years fromChernobyl fallout, and the standard riskestimate from the International Commission onRadiological Protection (ICRP, 2005) is 0.057 fatalcancers per Sievert, this suggests an estimate ofabout 34,000 fatal cancers over that time period(Ramana, 2009). Given the widely accepted linearno-threshold radiation risk model may overstateor understate risks by a factor of two (BIER VII,2006) — then estimates for post-Chernobyl cancermortality extrapolation may range from 17,000 to68,000 over 50 years."

1. Fukushima and the tsunami are similar in that both were disasters. 2. The tsunami's harm is measured by its death toll before 9/14/11.3. Therefore, Fukushima's harm is measured by its death toll before 9/14/11.

That argument from analogy is assumed implicitly in his comparison aired on Sept 14, 2011. We cannot conclude, as he wishes us to, that the tsunami was far worse unless we accept that analogy as true. However, it's a false analogy on account of the fact that the harm of radiation exposure is also measured by the deaths it causes years and decades later.